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Doing the research

I am constantly amazed and humbled by the level of sophistication, not to mention dedication, inherent in the artisan traditions here in Bali. I know so little (I'm rather embarrassed to say) however I do know that I appreciate them very much! This is a place where it is the norm, rather than the exception, to spend one's time in making things by hand.

indigo dyeing(before)

Recently I did some research on the use of natural dyeing in Bali (online, of course and from the comfort of my small but perfectly comfortable villa nestled in the rice fields ... nothing hard about this kind of research!) and discovered Tarum Natural Dye in Gianyar.

black dye vatIt is a small and seemingly very productive company, started by two brothers in 2001 who did the research, learning about the plants, the traditional techniques and processes of natural dyeing in order to create a viable business. Visitors are welcome and I gather they offer workshops (see their Facebook page). Spending time with Andika (one of the brothers) was delightful (and of course very informative) - such a welcoming guide who was obviously pleased by our interest and happy to show us around the factory, the spinning and weaving studio, the fabric shop, the garden with the dye plants growing, the lines of drying yarn and fabric

fabric scraps are shredded and woven into floor mats

spools used for the yarn for weaving

So doing the research, I realise, isn't just about getting the info ... it opens doors and minds and all sorts of possibilities, spreads knowledge, inspires one to create, follow a dream ... and so on!

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